The month of January marks the annual observance of School Board Recognition Month—a time to salute the work of school board members and celebrate public education.

(Back Row, Left to Right) Norton Johnson, Todd Hanson, Tim Avery, Joseph Marckini. (Front Row, Left to Right) Carolee Cole, Pamela Tow-Conley, Brook Nichols.

In Cedar Springs Public Schools, school board members must develop policies and make tough decisions on complex educational and social issues impacting the entire community. They bear responsibility for an annual budget of $30 million, 3400 students, 350 employees and 7 buildings. They are citizens whose decisions affect our children—what they learn, who will teach them and what kinds of facilities house their classrooms.

Our Board of Education, and the hundreds like it across the state, enable us to have local control of public schools, meaning that decisions on school programming are made by local, elected representatives who understand the community’s unique problems, values, culture and circumstances.

Too often we neglect to recognize the dedication and hard work of these men and women who represent us. This January we invite you to recognize and celebrate the work of your local school trustees. The staff and students of our district are asking all members of the community to take a moment and tell a school board member, “thanks for caring about our children.”

So, hats off to the dedicated men and women who make it possible for local citizens to have a say about education in our communities. We salute the public servants Cedar Springs Public Schools whose dedication and civic responsibility make local control of public schools in our community possible. We applaud them for their vision and voice to help shape a better tomorrow.

The men and women serving Cedar Springs Public Schools are:
Brook Nichols, President
Joseph Marckini, Vice President
Norton Johnson, Treasurer
Carolee Cole, Secretary
Pamela Tow-Conley, Trustee
Tim Avery, Trustee
Todd Hanson, Trustee